Banff sees record-breaking transit numbers during summer 2023

Roam Transit is shown in a handout photo from Banff and Lake Louise Tourism.

A record-breaking number of visitors to Banff National Park opted to use the town's regional transit to get around the community this summer.

Officials say that as of Sept. 26, two million riders had been transported by Roam Transit, marking the first time that number has been reached in a single calendar year.

It's also a 60 per cent increase in ridership compared to the same period in 2022.

In addition, Parks Canada says shuttles to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake were, as of Sept. 24, reporting a 29 per cent increase in ridership compared to 2022, with more than 302,000 passengers.

The spike in ridership comes amid Parks Canada's decision to bar personal vehicles from entering Moraine Lake as of June 2023 in an effort to cut back on the large volume of cars heading to the area.

In 2022, prior to the Moraine Lake Road closure to personal vehicles, Parks Canada says 215,797 passengers used the shuttles, adding that 5,000 personal vehicles were turned away daily.

Officials with Banff and Lake Louise Tourism say On-It Regional Tourism, which moves passengers between Calgary and Banff, also saw a spike in usage this past summer. 

On-it Regional Transit, with routes from Calgary to Banff, is reporting an increase of 116 percent from August 2019 to August 2023.

Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno says it's encouraging to see.

"We are very grateful to all of the visitors who left their vehicle behind and instead chose to take transit to and around Banff this summer.

"For the last several years, we've been working towards strengthening our transit services to make this as easy and enjoyable as possible and as a result, it is rewarding to see the growth in ridership."

DiManno says she hopes even more progress toward sustainability will be made in the future.

Visitors to Banff over the Thanksgiving long weekend will have access to local transit services, which will continue to operate until after Oct. 10.

For more information about public transit services in Banff, you can visit explorethepark.ca.